Movable storage and loading bin assembly



Nuv- 1965 swam-HERMAN! HEISE 3,217,909

MOVABLE S'I'QRAGE AND LOADING BIN ASSEMBLY Filed June 21, 1963 L CARL HER/MANN H5155 United States Patent 3,217,909 MOVABLE STORAGE AND LOADING BIN ASSEMBLY Carl-Hermann Heise, Kalandstrasse 12, Alfeld (Leine), Germany Filed June 21, 1963, Ser. No. 289,658

Claims priority, application Germany, Sept. 20, 1962, H 46,958 2 Claims. (Cl. 21438) The present invention relates to a pair of storage and loading bins of the type used for storing and loading bituminous road-building materials. More particularly the invention is directed to two such bins arranged in tandem which are coupled together in such a manner that they can be lifted so as to form a self-supporting bridge portion under which two trucks can be placed and pass through side by side.

Movable storage and loading bins have been proposed before, but they lack the feature of interconnection between the bins so as to make them suitable for functioning as a self-supporting bridge portion when in their lifted position.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pair of movable storage and loading bins which are interconnected and, upon being lifted, serve as a selfsupporting girder so that two trucks can be placed and can pass through underneath, side by side.

Another object of this invention is to leave a gap or channel between the interconnected bins so that bituminous road-building materials can be poured through therebetween so as to load a truck directly without first passing the material through a bin.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a movable bin arrangement which has a free passage space of a width of more than 6 meters and a height of about 4 meters when the bins are in their uplifted position.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of a movable frame carrying a pair of bins, inter-connected side by side, said bins being vertically movable so as to allow trucks to be placed underneath. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several figures, and wherein The figure is a side view of the movable storage and loading bin assembly in transport position;

The figure shows a first support 1 and a second support 2. These supports are interconnected by an upper frame portion and a lower frame portion 6. A first bin 3 and a second bin 4 are arranged inside the frame portions 5 and 6. Each bin has an opening and closing mechanism 26, 27, respectively. A hand winch 8 is arranged at the lower portion of the support 1 and a hand winch 10 is arranged at the lower portion of the support 2. At the upper portion of the supports 1 and 2 pulleys 14 and 15 are provided, respectively. Ropes 9 and 11 lead from the hand winches 8, 10 via the pulleys 14, 15 to projecting members 23 and 24 of the bins 3 and 4, respectively. At the projecting member 23 the rope 9 is attached to a holding portion 12, and at the projecting member 24 the rope 11 is attached'to a holding portion 13. By actuating the hand winches 8 and 10 the interconnected bins 3 and 4 can be pulled upwardly. In FIGURE 1 they are shown in their lowest position which is the transport position.

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Underneath the supports 1 and 2 wheels 7 are arranged, respectively, thereby making the bin assembly movable. The bins 3 and 4 are carried by support means 21 which are centrally interconnected by a member 19. At the location of the member 19 a channel 20 is arranged which allows throwing bituminous road-building material from above directly through said channel 20 into a truck positioned underneath. Stabilizing means 16 and 17 are attached at the lower ends of the supports 1 and 2, respectively.

As the preceding description indicates, it is an important feature of the present invention to let the bins 3, 4 which are rigidly interconnected by the support means 21, rest in their uplifted loading position without any means other than the self-supporting bridge girder 21. Stop pins 25 are used to interconnect the frame, portions 5 and 6 and to attach the outer ends thereof removably to the supports 1 and 2, respectively. By avoiding the use of any special holding means, an unobstructed space is formed below the uplifted bins 3, 4 which is large enough to accommodate two trucks in side-by-side position.

When the assembly is in transport position as shown in the figure, the frame portions 5 and 6 are removably attached to the supports 1 and 2. Thereby, added stability is given to the assembly which is important for moving it on the wheels 7. However, in case the bins 3 and 4 are pulled, to their uppermost position, the assembly rests on the stabilizing means 16 and 17, and the frame portions 5 and 6 are removed by taking out the stop pins 25 by which the frame portions 5 and 6 are connected to the supports 1 and 2.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to further modification and, accordingly, it is desired to comprehend such modifications within this invention as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A movable storage and loading bin assembly comprising, in combination, two upright supports, said supports having wheels at the lower ends thereof; horizontal support means slidably mounted in said upright supports and positioned vertically movably intermediate said upright supports; two bins, arranged in tandem, and carried by said horizontal support means; a loading channel between said bins arranged to feed directly into trucks, the upper adjacent walls of said bins flaring outwardly from the upper open end of said channel; winch and pulley means arranged in each of said upright supports; and rope means leading from said winch means via said pulley means to the outer ends of said horizontal support means, said horizontal support means forming a frame in their lowermost transport position and a self-supporting bridge girder in their uppermost loading position, additional upper and lower detachable frame supports extending between said upright supports when said bins are in their lowermost transport position, the free space left below said horizontal support means when in their uppermost horizontal position being sufficiently large to accommodate two trucks in side-by-side position.

2. A movable storage and loading bin assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising stabilizing means, said stabilizing means being fixed to the lower portion of each of said upright supports and adapted to be placed into stabilizing position upon pulling said horizontal support means into their uppermost loading position.

(References 011 following page) References Cited by the Examiner UNITED 4;- FOREIGN PATENTS STATES PATENTS 556,193 4/1957 Belgium. Brown 14 41 48,206 11/1937 France.

Long 21441 X Deetz et a1 214 41 X 5 HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner. Noble 214-2 GERALD M. FORLENZA, Examiner. 

1. A MOVABLE STORAGE AND LOADING BIN ASSEMBLY COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, TWO UPRIGHT SUPPORTS, SAID SUPPORTS HAVING WHEELS AT THE LOWER ENDS THEREOF; HORIZONTAL SUPPORT MEANS SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID UPRIGHT SUPPORTS AND POSITIONED VERTICALLY MOVABLY INTERMEDIATE SAID UPRIGHT SUPPORTS; TWO BINS, ARRANGED IN TANDEM, AND CARRIED BY SAID HORIZONTAL SUPPORT MEANS; A LOADING CHANNEL BETWEEN SAID BINS ARRANGED TO FEED DIRECTLY INTO TRUCKS, THE UPPER ADJACENT WALLS OF SAID BINS FLARING OUTWARDLY FROM THE UPPER OPEN END OF SAID CHANNEL; WINCH AND PULLEY MEANS ARRANGED IN EACH OF SAID UPRIGHT SUPPORTS; AND ROPE MEANS LEADING FROM SAID HORIZONTAL SUPPORTS; PULLEY MEANS TO THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID HORIZONTAL SUPPORT MEANS, SAID HORIZONTAL SUPPORT MEANS FORMING A FRAME IN THEIR LOWERMOST TRANSPORT POSITION AND A SELF-SUPPORTING BRIDGE GRIDER IN THEIR UPPERMOST LOADING POSITION, ADDITIONAL UPPER AND LOWER DETACHABLE FRAME SUPPORTS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID UPRIGHT SUPPORTS WHEN SAID BINS ARE IN THEIR LOWERMOST TRANSPORT POSITION, THE FREE SPACE LEFT BELOW SAID HORIZONTAL SUPPORT MEANS WHEN IN THEIR UPPERMOST HORIZONTAL POSITION BEING SUFFICIENTLY LARGE TO ACCOMMODATE TWO TRUCKS IN SIDE-BY-SIDE POSITION. 